Champions League: Paris St-Germain late goals shatter Atalanta

Neymar and Kylian Mbappe — There were just 149 seconds between Marquinhos' equaliser and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting's winner

Paris St-Germain scored two late goals in a sensational comeback against Atalanta to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in 25 years.

A night of frustration for PSG forward Neymar looked set to ensure more continental disappointment for the French champions as unfancied Atalanta led through Mario Pasalic.

But the Brazil forward then laid on a 90th-minute equaliser for Marquinhos and substitute Kylian Mbappe teed up former Stoke striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to slide in the winner.

On the 50th anniversary of the club's founding, it looked like being a familiar tale of failure for PSG on European club football's biggest stage.

Neymar, the world's most expensive player, was all too often the only bright spark for Thomas Tuchel's side, but was also guilty of two glaring misses.

But the introduction of Mbappe - the world's second-most expensive player - proved crucial as his pace and quality finally undid the stubborn Atalanta rearguard to provide an astonishing finale to the first one-legged quarter-final in the re-shaped competition.

PSG will now face either RB Leipzig in the first semi-final next Tuesday night.

The £200m man delivers

PSG have made a habit of finding improbable ways to lose in the Champions League since their emergence as a global force off the pitch - with Barcelona's comeback from 4-0 down three years ago perhaps the most notable.

And Tuchel could well have joined Unai Emery, Carlo Ancelotti and Laurent Blanc in paying for that failure with his job with another letdown in Lisbon.

Champions League debutants Atalanta undoubtedly kicked-off as underdogs but have been superb all season, scoring 98 goals in Serie A and playing attractive, fluid, attacking football.

Neymar had already missed one glorious chance - running clean through on goal but shooting wide - when Pasalic capped a typically stylish Atalanta attack with a brilliant left-footed curler to give the Italian side the lead.

Neymar - whose salary was reported this week to be equal to that of the whole Atalanta squad - blazed wide again when well placed.

But to his credit the former Barcelona man, brought to Paris largely to deliver in this competition, continued to work hard for his side, driving them forward all night.

His 16 completed dribbles were the most in a Champions League game since Lionel Messi for Barcelona against Manchester United in April 2008.

He was always likely to produce PSG's decisive moment if one arrived, and Marquinhos got on the end of his dangerous ball across goal to poke in the equaliser just as a tired Atalanta looked poised to record a huge shock.

Their heads understandably went down as extra-time loomed but the fit-again Mbappe - majestic from the moment he stepped onto the pitch - glided past their defence again to lay on a tap-in for Choupo-Moting, a free transfer from the Potteries two years ago.

It was only a third win in 11 quarter-final matches in the European Cup for the French side. Could they now go all the way and claim the prize they covet most?

'It's impossible to eliminate us'

Neymar: "I never thought of going home. From the warm-up to the end, we believed in it. We never gave up. No-one will take this desire to go to the final away from me.

"We are a great group, we are a family, so we know that with this state of mind, it is impossible to eliminate us."

Thomas Tuchel: "I thought about elimination, after 88 minutes at 1-0, I am realistic. But I didn't have the feeling that we weren't going to score.

"I told my assistants that if we scored a goal we would win. After this match, these efforts are absolutely deserved."

Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini: "We came very close, it was very close. It looked as if we could do it, pull off a great achievement.

"Mbappe coming into the game, combined with the presence of Neymar, changed things for PSG. He gave an energy to PSG, who were losing the match - it was fundamental because of what he brought to the game."

Man of the match - Neymar (Paris St-Germain)

Line-ups
Match Stats
Live Text

Line-ups

Atalanta

57Sportiello
2ToloiBooked at 67mins
3Caldara
19DjimsitiBooked at 37minsSubstituted forPalominoat 60'minutesBooked at 85mins
33Hateboer
15de RoonBooked at 50mins
11FreulerBooked at 45mins
8GosensSubstituted forCastagneat 82'minutes
10GómezSubstituted forMalinovskiyat 59'minutes
88PasalicSubstituted forMurielat 70'minutes
91ZapataBooked at 53minsSubstituted forDa Rivaat 82'minutes

Substitutes

4Sutalo
6Palomino
7Czyborra
9Muriel
17Piccoli
18Malinovskiy
20Da Riva
21Castagne
22Bellanova
25Gelmi
31Rossi
90Colley

PSG

1NavasSubstituted forRicoat 79'minutes
4Kehrer
2Thiago Silva
3Kimpembe
14BernatBooked at 54mins
21HerreraBooked at 57minsSubstituted forDraxlerat 72'minutes
5Marquinhos
27GueyeSubstituted forParedesat 72'minutesBooked at 75mins
18IcardiSubstituted forChoupo-Motingat 79'minutes
10Neymar
19SarabiaSubstituted forMbappéat 60'minutes

Substitutes

7Mbappé
8Paredes
16Rico
17Choupo-Moting
22Diallo
23Draxler
25Bakker
29Muinga
30Bulka
31Dagba
34Ruiz-Atil
36Mbe Soh

Referee:: Anthony Taylor

Match Stats

Home TeamAtalantaAway TeamPSG

Possession: Home37%; Away63%

Shots: Home9; Away17

Shots on Target: Home4; Away6

Corners: Home4; Away3

Fouls: Home29; Away13

Live Text

Post update
Match ends, Atalanta 1, Paris Saint Germain 2.
90'+7'
Full Time
Second Half ends, Atalanta 1, Paris Saint Germain 2.

90'+5'
Post update
Leandro Paredes (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90'+5'
Post update
Foul by Hans Hateboer (Atalanta).
90'+3'
Goal!
Goal! Atalanta 1, Paris Saint Germain 2. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Kylian Mbappé.
90'+2'
Post update
Foul by Leandro Paredes (Paris Saint Germain).
90'+2'
Post update
Ruslan Malinovskiy (Atalanta) wins a free kick on the right wing.
90'
Goal!
Goal! Atalanta 1, Paris Saint Germain 1. Marquinhos (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Neymar.
90'
Post update
Attempt missed. Neymar (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
87'
Post update
Attempt missed. Julian Draxler (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Neymar.
86'
Post update
Julian Draxler (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
86'
Post update
Foul by Remo Freuler (Atalanta).
86'
Post update
Attempt missed. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Paris Saint Germain) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Julian Draxler with a cross following a corner.
85'
Post update
Corner, Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Mattia Caldara.
85'
Booking
José Luis Palomino (Atalanta) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
85'
Post update
Neymar (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick on the left wing.
85'
Post update
Foul by José Luis Palomino (Atalanta).
84'
Post update
Neymar (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick on the left wing.
84'
Post update
Foul by Mattia Caldara (Atalanta).
84'
Post update
Neymar (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

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401 comments

This turned from one of the best to one of the worst days of football in a long long time.
Plastic Souless Ghouls
Neymar recovers from mortal wounds incredibly quickly. It's almost like he is a Terminator or something. 🙄
You know it ain't your night when a former Stoke City player nets the winner!
Can’t wait for Atlético to beat them 1-0 in the semi final it’s just gonna happen.
If it’s a PSG v M City final then it would only be right to remove it from the European Schedule in respect to the owners. Play it out in the Arabian Gulf on a date suitable to both royal families.

Just the way football was supposed to be. 🙄
Neutral Fans 1, Oil Money 2
Very Jammy result from PSG, don't think the remaining teams (especially on the other end) have much to fear of they play like they did tonight. Really felt for Atlanta,put effort in right until the end; just wasn't enough
Just shows how poor the French League must be, if this lot can win it at a stroll every season.........
Well, there goes all my hilarious comments I had lined up. Gotta give PSG credit for that though. They were off the pace all night and turned it around at the death with some quality. Neymar really has to work on his finishing though.
Another blow for UEFA and FFP. If PSG or City win the *Champions League they might as well scrap it. It will have failed it's mission of preventing these clubs winning this trophy.
260 ChrisssB

Not like PSG at all eh?

City have Spent £1.5bn on 278 players in the last 10 years.

Would love to meet the City fan that can name all those players.

That £1.5bn shotgun approach over-inflates the market for every other English team.

It's like fishing with a trawler.

Might just be me, but let’s not make a Gulf oil state the shining example of English football.
@69 "Let's be honest, one game quarter-finals and semi-finals cheapens the competition"

No, the opposite is true (as I'm old enough to remember but you're probably in your 20's). It's how it mostly used to be and how it should be. It's a knock out competition, but it changed because of greedy UEFA.
It gladdens the heart to see such a down to earth club like PSG and such a modest, humble and honest player like Neymar get another worthy chance to fulfill his agents wishes.

Well done chaps.
Psg are the definition of what is wrong with modern football. Apart from mbappe. He can stay
What a depressing result, but sadly it really felt inevitable going into the last 20 minutes. Why do teams (particularly like Atalanta who in normal circumstances wouldn't sit back) feel the need to play so deep late on in matches? It only invites pressure.

A real shame they couldn't hold on tonight but they've been a great addition to the tournament, it'll be good to have them back next year.
Heartbreaking.

For those too young to remember this was very similar to when Utd won the CL in 99. However on that night Utd were destroyed by Bayern and they stole a victory.
Removed. Its not that at all. Since the boyband clubs like psg, man city and chelsea transfer fees are astronomical, wages spiriling out of control and players shoving in our faces in the media how much money theyve got. Obscene tbh.
PSG & their mercenaries didn't deserve to win.

Unlucky Atalanta.
A bloke walks into a pub and says Neymar was man of the match